Although fans have to wait until December for the fourth issue of Dark Nights: Metal, writer Scott Snyder has revealed a panel by artists Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion to tide them over: It depicts Aquaman on the ocean floor, accompanied by Deathstroke … riding a giant seahorse.

RELATED: Batman: Devastator’s Origin Is Basically A Batman v Superman Elseworlds

The fan-favorite mercenary showed up in Metal #3 to help the Justice League and its allies in their battle against the bat-demon Barbatos and his Dark Knights from the Dark Multiverse. The team split up to investigate the mysteries of Nth Metal, with Aquaman and Deathstroke setting off for Atlantis.

Deathstroke on a seahorse because Metal 4 (Dec) pic.twitter.com/OT2zdUAMw0

— Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) November 1, 2017

In the current Deathstroke series, Slade Wilson has experienced brushes with heroism, even founding Team Defiance to train heroes to save the world — for a price, of course.

After a month off in November, Snyder and Capullo return Dec. 20 with Dark Nights: Metal #4. Circumstances seem pretty dire, according to the issue synopsis:

The Justice League has been broken and scattered to the far corners of the DCU, each member forced to face their worst fears alone…and the fears are winning. When an unlikely ally reveals a glimmer of hope, they must seize their chance, or risk their window of opportunity closing for good

Could that unlikely ally be Slade Wilson?